Two people died last Wednesday night when the car they were driving left the road and hit a tree in the west end of Pickens County near the Gordon County line.

Tony Patterson, 51, of Fairmount and Marla Mayhan, 41, of Waleska were killed in a single car accident while headed east on Hwy. 53 West near Edwards Road. According to Captain Frank Reynolds with the Pickens County Sheriff's office, the 1966 Nova went down an embankment and struck a tree. Both passengers were ejected from the vehicle and died on impact, he said.

The accident occurred Wednesday night, Reynolds said but the wreck wasn't found until Thursday morning.

"A man living near the scene heard something around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night and went outside the following morning and discovered the wreck," Reynolds said.

According to Reynolds, speed was likely a factor in the accident. The Georgia State Patrol investigation continues.